#adventuresforacause

[hiddenplacestravel]

Looking into the eye of an elephant is a life changing moment. It is the recognition of a complex and mysterious consciousness, a deep intelligence. On this day, and all days, we celebrate these amazing creatures. We thank all the great people we have had the privilege to meet and work with, who dedicate their lives to protecting and conserving elephants. And we give a big shout out to the intrepid trekkers who will walk across the Serengeti with us next month, on our 100 Miles for Elephants Trek. #worldelephantday #adventuresforacause #hiddenplacesadventures #hiddenplacestravel #tanzania #kenya @spaceforgiants @honeyguide_tz @elephantvoices @wildaid @savethelephants

[hiddenplacestravel]

We were so lucky to see lots of elephants on the trek. But Tanzania has become the epicentre of the poaching crisis, losing around 60% of its elephant population since 2009. It’s a crucial cause, and we’ll be walking there again next year, raising funds to save these magnificent and endangered animals. #savingelephants #100milesforelephants #adventuresforacause #tanzania #serengeti #walkingforelephants #spaceforgiants #honeguidefoundation #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures @malibranks @yamsiol @ginaberko

[hiddenplacestravel]

What do you think these zebra were thinking as they watched our #100milesforelephants team walk by? #tanzania #serengeti #walkingsafari #adventuresforacause #africa #adventureofalifetime #zebras #animalphotography #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures

[hiddenplacestravel]

While wildebeest are the main stars of the Great Migration, their companions the zebra play a really important role. The two species have a symbiotic relationship: the zebra eat the longer grasses, opening up the shorter grasses preferred by wildebeest. Zebra are also smarter than the adorable but sometimes goofy wildebeest. They play a key role in remembering the course of the migration and they are keenly attuned to the sounds and sights of predators, sending up fast and loud warnings. But zebra also rely on the wildebeest, who have an incredible sense of smell for water and are skilled at finding drinking sources. Our trekking group in Tanzania were lucky enough to witness these zebra leading the way across a river. And - watch for the next post - they had some great up close zebra encounters. #zebra #africa #tanzania #100milesforelephants #adventuresforacause #symbiosis #wildlifephotography #walkingsafari #rivercrossing #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures @malibranks @yamsiol @ginaberko #honeyguidefoundation #spaceforgiants

[hiddenplacestravel]

The Great Migration is one of the world’s most amazing wildlife phenomena. During each year, approximately 1.4 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra move across the vast savannahs of Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania, following water and greening grasses. The migration is an ongoing event so it’s hard to say where it starts and finishes, and its various stages are dependent on weather patterns and changes. But here is an attempt: in the eastern Serengeti in January, the wildebeest and zebra herds give birth to their young. The grass is still short at this time, making it safer for the newborns to be protected from lurking predators, who can be spotted more easily. As the rains there end, the herds move west following the rivers and the grasses, on their way to the Masai Mara. By June, usually they are crossing crocodile infested rivers to reach Kenya. By mid September they are heading south again, arriving back in the Serengeti. Our 100 Miles for Elephants team literally walked into – and walked with – the Great Migration. During their trek they saw thousands of wildebeest. And of course zebra – check our next post for a great shot of a river crossing and some zebra/wildebeest facts. . . . #tanzania #greatmigration #100milesforelephants #adventuresforacause #africa #walkingsafari #inthewild #wildlifephotography #wildebeest #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures @ginaberko @yamsiol @malibranks

[hiddenplacestravel]

When you are walking across the Serengeti and you come across a family of giraffe….just one of the many incredible sightings on our 100 Miles for Elephants trek. . . . #tanzania #100milesforelephants #walkingsafari #adventuresforacause #africa #serengeti #giraffes #wild #liveyourdream #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures #giraffefamily

[hiddenplacestravel]

Quick, get the binoculars out! Our 100 Miles for Elephants group had great wildlife sightings on their trek. One of the group just wrote that ‘we saw amazing numbers of various antelopes, giraffes ,elephants, zebra - and the wildebeest migration - while walking. On game drives (to get to and from the start and end of the walk) we also saw a lot of lions and even a leopard.” The groups’ photos are arriving now and I’ll be posting some of them this week. #adventuresforacause #100milesforelephants #tanzania #africa #wildlifesighting #serengeti #wayouthere #wildwalks #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures #honeyguidefoundation #spaceforgiants @malibranks @yamsiol @ginaberko

[hiddenplacestravel]

I promised our 100 Miles for Elephants trekking group fabulous night skies in the Serengeti. And they weren’t disappointed! . . . #tanzania #nightskies #africanskies #stars #milkyway #constellations #100milesforelehants #adventuresforacause #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures #wildcamping #trekking #longwalk #honeyguidefoundation #spaceforgiants @ginaberko @yamsiol @malibranks

[hiddenplacestravel]

The first news from our 100 Miles from Elephants trek! An email just arrived from Damien Bell, the founder of Honeyguide Foundation. "I met your group on the edge of a river in flood listening to the sounds of lions in the night. They seemed to be enjoying their walk immensely. I spent the evening with them and had long chats about community based conservation, and the tracker dogs and their importance in the big picture. We also talked about how conservation today and in the future needs commitment from communities living in the same space. They are a great group.” The trek finished this morning; the group will soon be flying out of the Serengeti in small bush planes and back into the land of cell phones and wifi. But I can guess how they feel - at the end of all our previous 100 Miles for Elephants treks, I have just wanted to keep walking in the wild….. and hearing those lions at night…… . . . #adventuresforacause #tanzania #serengenti #100milesforelephants #walkingforelephants #longwalk #lions #elephants #wayoutthere #honeyguidefoundation #spaceforgiants #tripofalifetime #adventurewithpurpose #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures

[hiddenplacestravel]

Today our intrepid 100 Miles for Elephants team are setting off on their journey across the Serengeti in Tanzania. They will be walking 15 miles a day for a week, across a wild area where no jeep safaris are allowed, and camping in the bush by night. This is a fantastic time of year for a long walk in the Serengeti - the landscape is lush after recent rains and the temperatures have cooled. Best of all - the Great Migration has begun its push south from Masai Mara, following the greening pastures, and our group will be witnessing this fantastic spectacle of thousands of wildebeest and zebra on the move. They are in the best of hands, led by Tanzania’s top walking guides, and a support group who will go ahead each day and set up the comfortable camps. No roughing it- there will be hot 'bucket' showers and buffet style meals served at a table with chairs! But the walk itself is a big challenge, and it is for a crucial purpose: raising funds to protect and conserve Africa’s wild elephant population. Our team have done a sterling job in this regard; the funds raised this year will go to #spaceforgiants for their African-wide work and #honeyguidefoundation for their grassroots projects in Tanzania - specifically to support their Anti Poaching Tracker Dog Unit, which is a huge deterrent to elephant poachers. When they arrive in the Serengeti, the team will met Honeyguide Foundation’s top dog trainer/handler and his dogs. Tomorrow, after the day’s long walk, they will meet Damien Bell, the founder of Honeyguide Foundation. They will be out of cell phone and wifi range for much of the trek, so we’ll be posting more photos and stories when they return. We wish them all the very best of luck on this challenging walk! And big thanks from the elephants! . . . #elephants #tanzania #serengeti #greatmigration #walkingadventures #walkingsafari #adventuresforacause #hundredmilesforelephants #trekking #fundraising #@yamsiol @ginaberko

[hiddenplacestravel]

Our interactions with elephants have taught us that humans are no different to other animals. We are not at the top of a pinnacle and superior to other species. Instead, we are part of a huge delicate web and our actions have repercussions for all other living things. Elephants are endangered: by poaching, by human elephant conflict, by climate change, by politics. We continue our efforts to help conserve them and improve their lives. In few weeks we will be walking 100 miles across the Serengeti in Tanzania, raising funds for anti poaching efforts – to date we have raised over $100,000 for this vital work. And we support initiatives to introduce humane training and handling methods for captive elephants. Let’s make sure these beautiful giants prosper – the world would be a very sad and diminished place without them. . #elephants #conservation #keystonespecies #worthmorealive #stopthetrade #adventuresforacause #spaceforgiants #honeyguidefoundation #wildaid #elephantfamily #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures

[hiddenplacestravel]

Why do elephants fascinate us? They are highly intelligent, multi dimensional creatures. They have complex emotional lives. We are drawn to them because they are so like our species. We have spent countless happy hours watching elephants, both in the wild and in captivity. It has been like looking into a mirror. Each elephant has a distinct character and personality. They are not perfect. Like humans they are hard wired to develop hierarchies, and they engage in politics and power struggles. Among groups of elephants, we have witnessed intrigue, jealousy, bullying and victimizing. We have also seen great kindness and cooperation, and their families are the most important thing in the world for them. We’ve marvelled at their loyalty and tenderness and deep abiding bonds. Yes, elephants do grieve their dead. They often exhibit a sense of humour. They are naughty and teasing. And baby elephants – so loved and protected by their mothers and aunties – are possibly the happiest (and most spoilt) babies on this planet. #elephants #babyelephants #keystonespecies #racingextinction #jointheherd @spaceforgiants @elephantfamily @elephantvoices @savetheelephants #adventuresforacause #hiddenplacestravel#hiddenplacesadventures#wildlifephotography #family

[hiddenplacestravel]

So why do we care so much about elephants? There are so many reasons and over the next few days we will share some of them. First: in ecological terms elephants are a keystone species, playing an important role changing the environment and maintaining the biodiversity of ecosystems. On the savannahs of Africa, they feed on trees and bushes, helping to maintain up the grasslands that support other animals. In the forests they create gaps in the vegetation, allowing a diverse number of plants and other organisms to grow. During dry seasons and in dry areas they dig with their tusks for water, opening up watering holes that other species – from bees to baboons – can access. Most of the plant matter they eat passes through them, and their dung is full of seeds that grow into new vegetation. Some species of trees rely solely on elephants to spread their seeds. Without #elephants whole landscapes would transform and other species would disappear. #keystonespecies #savetheelephants #racingextinction #jointheherd #spaceforgiants #adventuresforacause #hiddenplacestravel #hiddenplacesadventures #wildlifephotography